Review by dan jensen, camrose theatre festival, 1994. The book is a retelling of the prophet hosea from the bible. At jehovahs bidding hosea married gomer the daughter of diblaim a prostitute. These messages came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. This book helped me understand and relate to them as not books written for another audience.
Although most of the book i did enjoy, it could have been about 100 pages shorter. Israel is the lords bride, but israel has instead joined itself to baal, the false god worshiped in syriapalestine. The book of hosea is the written record of the prophecies that ho sea son of beeri1, gave to the nation of israel in the eighth century b. Repentance to bring blessing return, israel, to the lord your god. Hear the word of the lord, you israelites, because the lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adu. Throughout the book, hosea pictured the people turning away from the lord and turning toward other gods 4. This is a list of movies including television movies based on the bible old testament and new testament, depicting characters or figures from the bible, or broadly derived from the revelations or interpretations therein. Jul 6, 2012 my favorite fiction book of all time besides series like narnia, lotr, etc. Gomer is a prostitute and hosea is a godly man told to marry her.
There is no faithfulness, no kindness,no knowledge of god in y. Adapted from the book of hosea in the bible, we journey with gomer, a harlot lost in her sin until hosea, a prophet of god, offers to marry her and redeem her life from darkness. The book motivated the reader to read the books of hosea,amos, micah and isaiah one more time. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of god in the land. Hosea his name meaning to save, salvation is the first of the socalled minor prophets. Miss your wedding anniversary or family reunion, but dont miss the heartless troll. Its a beautiful love story with themes running through it from the book of hosea in the bible. There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of god in the land.
God accuses israel hear the word of the lord, o people of israel. If the book is part of a series, please only vote for the first book. You can read others responses here for the best christian books for women but today id like to share my 10 must read books for christian women,continue reading. This is my first bible fic and it comes from the book of hosea. Hosea 4 nrsv god accuses israel hear the word of bible. This work of fiction was well researched and written. Im always a little leary of fiction books that focus this much on s.
Its central theme is the redeeming love of god towards sinners. Hosea 4 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. Fiction favours the facts book 2 is a second collection of 22 microtales from the bible tales newsletter. Hoseas primary audience was ephraim another name for the northern kingdom, israel, which is mentioned 35 times in the book. This is the best, most moving novel i have ever read. What follows is a period of unrest and political instability. Hosea is called to marry a prostitute hosea chapter 1 god speaks against unfaithful israel hosea chapter 2 hosea redeems his wife hosea chapter 3 the threefold accusation and call to repent hosea chapters 4 to 7.
This outline and bibliography are offered with the prayer that they will enhance the study of the book of hosea for the busy pastor who must take time from an already busy schedule to make preparation for a weeks study in his church. She will give birth to three children and leave her husband. Jerome specified that one of the divisions of the jews sacred books was the book of the twelve prophets, which evidently included the book of hosea to fill out the number 12. There are two unequal sections in the book of hosea, composed of chapters and 414. A book like hosea could not possibly have been written except in the shadow of the first five books of the old. Book of hosea overview insight for living ministries.
Books that are not technically biblical fiction but relatedclose enough books that i presonally have read and recommend. Hosea, an oldtestament prophet, preached his own life message using his. God chose to give abrahams descendants something they didnt deserve, and could never have earned. Hosea therefore must have been a contemporary of isaiah, micah and amos. This article provides an incomplete list of fiction books set in new york city. Lincoln in the bardo, by george saunders if theres one historical novel to read this summer, its george saunders acclaimed and 166 actor audiobook narrated. I began to memorize individual verses while in the awana program and learned about different bible characters at church and at home.
Its their struggle she finds it hard to turn away from the life she has always known and basically born into. Besides the bible, what one christian book do you think every christian woman should read. The californiabased author francine rivers doesnt travel for speaking. Truth is stranger than fiction, or so the saying goes. Based on a true story of a jewish holocaust survivor world war ii brave women fiction book 1 dafna vitale ben bassat. Hosea 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Whether your kids are old enough to read, or just old enough to understand a story when you read it to them, there are plenty of good books out there to get them into the outdoors. Based on the book of hosea from the bible, where god told the prophet. The redeeming love of god hosea 3 gomer is wrapped up in the depth of her brokenness, and hosea knows what it will take to get her back. Hosea malachi there are 66 books in the bible and lots of things to learn. You cant help but study the book of hosea after reading this novel. These metaphors were based on the israeli confusion of baal as husband and lord instead of yhwh. Cataloging israels sins hosea 4 march 1 bible commentary. The incredible scandal of gods perfect love found in hosea.
Past scholarship generally argues that the book of hosea articulates a message of judgment against israel in three basic parts, hosea. Hosea, a novel kindle edition by christenson, larry. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Under the rulership of jeroboam ii, there is material prosperity in israel, but that wanes soon after his death. True worship has all but disappeared from the northern tentribe kingdom of israel. It is not only a story of redeeming love, but unconditional love too. The novel is a retelling of the biblical story of hosea, the prophet called by god to. This list of nuclear holocaust fiction lists the many works of speculative fiction that attempt to describe a world during or after a massive nuclear war, nuclear holocaust, or crash of civilization due to a nuclear electromagnetic pulse. Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out.
A superb job of bringing longpast days to vivid life. A novel a riveting historical christian fiction romance set in 1950s. Lew wallacean american lawyer, soldier, politician and authorset out. An irish ww2 story the robinswood story book 1 jean grainger. Hosea s writings and prophecies may have been collected and edited after his death. But sometimes i read something that i really love and want to find a similar book. Best historical fiction about ancient rome 333 books. Biblebased fiction the facts of the bible rounded out with imaginative detail to help us recognise the lives and feelings of real people.
It seems theyre never bored enough to pick up a book. Verse 1 mentions an absence of truth, mercy and knowledge. The lords case against israelhear the word of the lord, o people of israel. We will never again say our gods to what our own hands have made, for in you the. So with that in mind weve pulled out our top ten biblical fiction books to wet your appetite. Family fiction christian fiction books, novels, movies. Just too much detail in the story telling nothing sexual. So, here i have listed 4 sites that might help you pick the next book you are going to read. The best books about the roman world, including both the roman republic and the roman empire. The book of hosea stands first in the order of the socalled minor prophets in common english bibles, as well as in the ancient hebrew and septuagint texts. I was needing a light and easy read and this book was perfect for that. The basic gist of the book is its about this girl who was forced into prostitution. It is written in beautiful, powerful, and emotional poetry, but in disjoined units chapters 4 14.
Based on that assumption, he presents a very hard case about the russian. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than yahweh, metaphorically comparing israels abandonment of yahweh to a. The charge against israel hear the word of the lord, you israelites,because the lord has a charge to bringagainst you who live in the land. Gods choice to have a special relationship with israel was based solely on his grace. While the book of hosea goes on for several more chapters, the story of hosea and gomer. The remainder of the book of hosea consists of a collection of miscellaneous statements expressing hosea s convictions concerning the character of yahweh and yahwehs relation to the people of israel. The book primarily denounces israel for apostasy against god and warns of a coming judgment, but it also contains promises of restora tion e. Whichbook whichbook allows you to discover books based on your mood. This retelling of the biblical story of gomer and hosea set during the time of the california gold rush is now considered by many to be a classic work of christian fiction. The prophet now lists many of the sins of israel, evident in his own day as well as in the end time. Redeeming love by francine rivers goodreads share book.
Each blessing or curse is based upon a corresponding type in the mosaic law. Gomer conceived two sons by the name of jezreel and loammi and a daughter by the name of lo ruhamah see section on peculiarities. However, even if you are not religious dont let this put you off. Most of hosea s messages are announcements of gods anger with israel the northern of the two israelite kingdoms and gods impending judgment on this people. Based on the book of hosea from the bible, where god told the prophet, hosea to marry the prostitute, gomer.
I think hosea brightened up at that, because he was a bachelor, and god said, i have a girl picked out for you. Amazon best sellers our most popular products based on sales. While masterpiece was good, i can understand why readers fell in love with redeeming love. When god had a message for the people, he gave his message through the prophets. I sometimes find myself looking for a book to read to my class that will serve as an example of good character or act as a literary pep talk. Based on the book of the bible, hosea, francine rivers clearly portrays the meaning of. Hosea, a novel 20, a full length, carefully researched historical novel based on the prophecy of hosea. Francine rivers is a name that gets bandied around a lot, not just in the christian fiction groups, but also in the historical romance. Nov 01, 20 hoseas book is the first of the minor prophetsthe last 12 books of the old testament.
This paper proposes a formcritical rereading of hosea based upon synchronic literary criteria. Hosea 4, new international version niv the bible app. Family fiction is the most comprehensive christian fiction resource providing news, interviews, and information about books, movies, and authors. My introduction to the bible began with flannel graphs in sunday school and bedtime stories read by my mom out of an illustrated childrens bible. The 16 best fiction adventure books every outdoor kid. The basics are that hosea is a prophet that god tells to go and marry a prostitute.
I read redeeming love based on my best friends constant suggestion to do so. I asked this question on my facebook page recently and was floored by the responses. Nov 04, 2015 the book of hosea niv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 28 duration. Listen to the word of the lord, o sons of israel, for the lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of god in the land. These twelve prophets are comprised in one single book in the hebrew bible and are called the twelve. He went to god and god told him to do a strange thing.
Hoseas bride by dorothy clark goodreads share book. Browse thousands of bestsellers, new releases, and classic novels from a wide range of genres, including literary fiction, mystery, thrillers, historical fiction, and romance. Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. This book is based off the love story from the bible of hosea and gomer. The story is inspired by the book of hosea from the bible. So hosea is rather discouraged and in the opening chapter of this little book of prophecy we read a personal note about him. Thus stuart rightly points out, understanding the message of the book of hosea depends upon understanding the sinai covenant. I could feel the pain angela, one of the main characters, was feeling throughout most of the book. There is no faithfulness, no love,no acknowledgment o.
My favorite fiction book of all time besides series like narnia, lotr. The book contains a series of blessings and curses announced for israel by god through hosea. A novel a redemptive, characterdriven, contemporary christian. The book that started it allthe 1880 novel benhur is one of one of the bestselling books of all time. Like amos, hosea was a prophet who was active in the northern kingdom of israel hosea also refers to israel as ephraim and samaria. According to the book, the apostasy of the people was rampant, having turned away from god in order to serve both the calves of jeroboam and baal, a canaanite god. If you are well acquainted with hosea youll understand why this novel comes. Or, in some cases, the truth is the basis for some incredible fiction. They are short stories about bible characters or events. Welcome to fantastic fiction search and browse bibliographies of over 50,000 bestselling fiction authors, with the latest books and series information join our 99,999 members. When the virtuous and spiritualminded michael hosea is told by god to. A history of new york washington irving 1809 1860s. Redeeming love continues to be one of the christian booksellers associations topselling titles, and it has held a spot on the christian bestsellers list for nearly a decade.
Hosea 14 repentance to bring blessing return, bible. Without doubt biblical fiction is the most popular genre of christian fiction and its easy to see why with plot twists and a christcentred core, stories based in and around the bible are a winning formula. Hosea chapter 2 teaches me about the love god have for humanity. The book of hosea stands first in the division of the bible called the book of the twelve in the apocrypha cf. This book is loosely based on the bible story of hosea. Cataloging israels sins hosea 4 march 1 as israel went through its final rulers, hosea s preaching continued. The first installment of a dark and intense biblical fiction series based on genesis, cain. A retelling of the biblical love story of gomer and hosea, set against the romantic backdrop of the california gold rush. Highlights from the book of hosea watchtower online library. The book of hosea is a deeply personal and passionate love story, yet its a difficult story. Hosea 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. Sep 04, 2009 the book redeeming love is a fiction book based on the story of hosea in the bible. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hosea, a novel.
As an account full of harsh judgment unfolds, we find in its midst a rare and pure gem. Redeeming love, by francine rivers is a historical romance novel set in the 1850s gold rush in california. This book was written based off of the book of hosea in the bible. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Fiction generally is a narrative form, in any medium, consisting of people, events, or places that are imaginaryin other words, not based strictly on history or fact. This retelling of the biblical story of gomer and hosea set during the time of the. It might be a book on fairness after an especially tough recess, a book on honesty after someones eraser collection goes missing, or maybe a book on perseverance to let a student who is feeling challenged know that it will all work out.
The book of hosea is a collection of prophetic messages delivered by the prophet hosea and narrative descriptions of hosea s marriage and the birth of his children 1. Hosea with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Redemptive love goes in eyes open, knowing everything. Dorothy clark did a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life in her book hoseas bride. Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish. Hosea has been charged by god with a difficult taskmarry. The story of gomer has been performed across the nation, reaching thousands of people with the message of gods faithfulness and love. Hosea prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of israels history, the period of the northern kingdoms decline and fall in the 8th century bc. Gods love for israel, a nation of people more interested in themselves than in gods direction for their lives, shines through clearly against the darkness of their idolatry and injustice hosea 14.
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